Seventeenth Judicial District Judge John T. Bryan will not run for retention in this fall’s general election, prompting the District’s Judicial Nominating Commission to set a date to review candidates interested in succeeding the judge. Judge Bryan is the fifteenth Colorado judge since June 1 to announce plans to vacate the bench. The court vacancy is effective January 11, 2011.

The five-member Commission will convene at the Adams County Justice Center in Brighton on Monday, August 30 to review and interview candidates for the district court judgeship. Following the interviews, the Commission will recommend finalists for Gov. Bill Ritter to consider for appointment, and the governor will announce his appointee within 15 days.

Judges in the district court preside over domestic relations, felony criminal, juvenile, and civil matters for the 500,000+ residents of Adams and Broomfield counties. They receive a provisional, two-year appointment by the governor, after which they are retained by voter approval every six years. The annual salary is $128,598.

All attorneys licensed to practice in Colorado and who are registered electors in the Seventeenth Judicial District are eligible to apply for the judgeship. Detailed information about the District and the application are available online. Application packages (consisting of one original application plus seven copies) must be received by the office of Commission ex officiochair, Justice Allison H. Eid, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Eighth Floor, no later than Friday, August 13 at 5:00 p.m.

Judge Bryan was appointed to the district court bench in 2007 following  a legal career that has included serving as a magistrate for the Seventeenth Judicial District, clerking for the Colorado Court of Appeals, and working as an assistant attorney general in the Colorado Office of the Attorney General. He holds a B.S. and an M.S. in computer science, and received his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law.

(image source: State Judicial)